136 Niger school pupils freed 88 days after abduction

 

The 136 pupils of the Salihu Tanko Islamic School in Tegina, Niger State, have been released 88 days after they were kidnapped by suspected bandits.

Reports said the pupils left Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, believed to be the kidnappers’ enclave, for Minna on Thursday.

Recall that the suspected bandits had stormed the Islamic school in May and abducted many adolescent children.

The two mothers whose children were among those abducted had reportedly died from shock after the incident.

For 88 days, parents and relatives of the abductees were under pressure to raise N150 million ransom demanded by the kidnappers.

The parents had resorted to selling their belongings to gather about N50 million for the kidnappers, according to reports.

On Tuesday, six of the abducted children were reported to have died in the bandits’ den.